Ethan clucked his tongue. "And to think - we were so close to having a normal conversation. Merit, you're an adult. I suggest you learn to accept your circumstances, and quickly. Like it or not, your life has changed. You need to come to terms with exactly who you are."
"I know who I am," I assured him.
A golden eyebrow winged upward. "You know who you were. I know who you are, Merit, and who you'll come to be."
"And what is that?"
His face was completely, serenely confident. "Mine. My vampire. My subject."
The possessiveness called my anger, and it rose, flowered and rushed across my body with a warmth that curled my toes. That warmth was delicious, and yet the emotion felt strange - separate, somehow. As if it wasn't my anger, but an anger inside me. Whatever the source, it was pervasive, strong, and thrilling.
I stood up and asked him, my voice huskier, lusher, "Would you like to test that theory?"
Ethan's gaze dropped to my lips, and he wet his own, but when he responded, seconds later, his tone was chill. Composed. The tone of Master-subduing-rebellious-peon. "You forget yourself, Initiate. You're two days old. I've three hundred and ninety-four years. Do you really want to test your mettle against me?"
I wasn't completely stupid. I knew my answer to that question should have been a resounding no. But that didn't stop my body, which I was beginning to learn was operating on a completely different frequency from the rest of my brain, from responding with all the bravado it could muster, "Why not?"
A heavy silence descended, the only sound penetrating it the solid thud of my heart. Ethan pushed back his chair. "Come with me."
"What did you just do?"
Mallory and I followed Ethan back through the first floor of Cadogan House.
"I don't know," I whispered back. "Vampire Merit's a lot braver than People Merit."
"Yeah, well, you better figure out a way to reconcile the genetics, 'cause Vampire Merit just landed you in some serious shit."
We took a right, descended a flight of stairs, and followed Ethan through another hallway to a set of antique wooden doors. The room we entered was huge and bright, the center of its wooden floor covered with a set of tatami mats. Half the height of the twenty-foot-high walls was covered in gleaming wood; the remainder, up to an overhanging balcony supported by massive wooden columns, showcased an impressive collection of antique weaponry, including swords, maces, bows, axes, and wicked-looking knives.
This was a room for sparring.
It took a moment for the implication to settle in.
"You're kidding, right?" I asked, turning to him. "You can't actually think I'm going to fight you?"
Ethan regarded me coolly and began unbuttoning his shirt. Question answered, I thought, and averted my eyes after the first peek of toned chest.
I walked into the middle of the floor, thinking I'd feel better if I had a better grasp on my surroundings. Ethan's arsenal was impressive - a set of crossed pikes, blue ribbons hung from their ends; a hefty broadsword; a black wooden shield bearing a golden oak tree, the acorns painted red; rows of unsheathed katanas.
"Experience?" Ethan called out behind me.
"Ballet and jogging. And whatever extra strength two days of being fanged will give me." I made the mistake of turning around just as he was pulling the button-up shirt over his head. My mouth went dry. His shoulders were broad and perfectly sculpted, as was the rest of his torso. His chest was firm, his stomach flat and lean, dotted only by the pucker of navel and a thin line of dark blond hair that disappeared into the waist of his trousers. Around his neck was a thin gold chain, on which hung a tiny oval of gold with a design stamped into it. It looked like a saint's medal, although I doubt any saints would have approved of a Master vampire wearing it.
Ethan caught me staring and lifted a brow, and I looked quickly away. Mallory yelled my name, waving me frantically toward where she stood at the edge of the mats. When I reached her, she shook her head at me.
"You cannot seriously think you're going to fight this guy. He could kick your ass with one arm tied behind his back, much less with all his voluminous vampire powers. He's probably stronger than you, faster than you. He can probably jump higher. Hell, he can probably glamour you into making out with him right there on the mats."
We simultaneously looked over to where Ethan, half naked, was toeing off black leather loafers. The muscles in his abdomen clenched as he moved. So did the lines of corded muscle across his shoulders.
God, but he was beautiful.
I narrowed my gaze.
Beautiful but evil. Wicked. The repugnant dregs of foul malevolence. Or something.
"Jesus," Mallory whispered. "I want to support your quest for revenge and all, but maybe you should just let him glamour you." She looked at me, and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. "Either you're f**ked, or you're f**ked, right?'
I rolled my eyes at her. "You're not helping."
The shuffle of footsteps rang through the room. We looked up. Vampires were filling the balcony, all dressed in black, all throwing hateful looks at me and Mallory. As I took in their obvious disdain, the weight of the risk I'd taken settled into my bones. According to the aptly named Canon, vampire society was based on antiquated notions of feudalism, including unfailing loyalty to a House and its Master. I'd walked into my House - into Ethan's House - spouted off, and challenged him to a fight. Twenty-seven years of trying to live under my parents' radar, of never causing enough trouble to raise their notice, and I'd made two very big mistakes in a matter of days. Walking across campus had nearly killed me. Challenging Ethan . . . Well, we'd find out soon enough.
"Probably this wasn't the best decision I've ever made," I admitted.
"No," Mallory agreed, but when I looked at her, her eyes shone bright with appreciation. "But it's ballsy. And you've needed to make a ballsy decision."
"Just a minute ago you said - "
"Forget it. I know what I said," she interrupted. "I've changed my mind. Geniuses are entitled. This is the right thing to do. This is the new Merit." She hugged me quickly, then stepped back. "Kick his ass, dead girl."
Ethan joined us, and made a gallant bow. When he straightened again, he clucked me beneath the chin. "Don't lose that courage now, Initiate."
"It wasn't my courage - the vampire challenged you."
"You are the vampire, Merit, now and forever. But sometimes the mind needs a chance to catch up with the genetics," he allowed.